


Burning Cities and Napalm Skies

by dia_dove



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drunk Sex, M/M, Post Anime, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, most things are the same but not really, references to child abuse/rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:55:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dia_dove/pseuds/dia_dove
Summary: How do two people cope in a lonely world?ArthurxYut-Lung angst with a happy ending. Written for the Not-Asheiji Bang 2019
Relationships: Frederick Arthur/Lee Yut-Lung
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: The Not-Asheiji Bang 2019





	Burning Cities and Napalm Skies

**Author's Note:**

> It's timmeee  
> Even though it's been some mentally taxing few months for me I was still able to work with the wonderful @kniuto on our bang collab.  
> There will be a part two full of wonderful smut that we will be working on as well. =)  
> I hope you enjoy our tribute to this Bang!

How long has it been? The streets all look the same. The buildings all look the same. The people all look the same. Nothing at all has changed… And yet everything had changed for Arthur.

That day on the bridge, with Ash, is his last memory of this place. He remembers is clearly because it's the same day he lost his very best friend. Though perhaps that title of ‘friend’ had not been conveyed as well as it should have. Wookie, at the time was, simply put, just a means to Arthur’s end. Another player in the game of Banana Fish. One who had great respect for Arthur and vice versa. Arthur had not seen him as more than that until Ash Lynx put a bullet between his eyes. Then, the truth blossomed forward so quickly Arthur could feel it burst out of his chest.No death had ever affected him in such a way.

At the time however, there were so many emotions coursing through his body that Wookies death was only part of what made him see red that day. It had, after all, always been about Ash. Perhaps it was more appropriate to say he lost his mind seeing blond that day.

Arthur steps off the train onto the platform. Even though it’s the middle of the work day the station is filled to the brim. It takes a few minutes to squeeze through the crowd. Though perhaps he does less squeezing and more pushing as he makes his way up concrete steps into the concrete jungle.

The sound of the city is almost deafening. Quite a difference from the quiet hum of coastal countryside. Not that Arthur had a preference for the quiet. He loves the noise, thrives in it. There was a reason he did so well here. Outside of Dino’s influence, Arthur  _ knew  _ the city. And even though now he looks upon it with a different pair of eyes he still  _ knows  _ the city.

The country however was something entirely different. He recalls the first time his eyes had opened after the fight with Ash. He was put up in some small hospital. He woke to no one. Just a letter written on a scrap of notebook paper, along with a newspaper clipping. That’s how Arthur found out about what Ash did. Though the article didn’t mention who exactly brought about this evidence exposing the child sex trafficing ring, Arthur knew. And he knew the messily written letter was from Ash himself. Who else could mock him in such a way even after they had one.   
  


_ Move on. From Dino, from me, and from Banana Fish. _ _  
  
_

Snarky, annoying, and pretentious. Definitely something Ash would have written. Which means, after all this, Ash had lived…

Arthur had crumbled the letter when he first read it. Tossed it aside and cursed at the one who had sent him to this hospital. But with two broken legs and a broken back there was little more he could do than shout and scream at every nurse who came near him. He wanted to get away. He wanted to go back. Back to Dino, the only father he had ever known. Back to the world where he was strong and powerful and in control. Back to the underworld.

He had tried a grand total of five times to escape from the hospital. It must have been some private establishment considering the patient count included him and only twelve others. Most of them were younger, but there was an older woman in the room next to his that was constantly sticking her nose in his business. He remembers her wide nose and bright brown eyes. The way her skin wrinkled at the corner of her mouth when she smiled. She was half deaf and partially blind but for whatever reason she never missed Arthur trying to sneak away from his room. Her fingers would fly to the panic button on her hospital bed.

She would have the nerve to lie about it the next day.

_ “Oh I just thought you needed help trying to get to the bathroom, honey. What with your bad legs and all.” _ She would smile and it would take all he had not to strangle her.

Arthur adjust the bag on his shoulder. A small one-strap that weighs next to nothing. He didn’t have much to pack from the hospital. Well, he didn’t have anything at all. When he arrived half dead at the hospital, they said he had nothing but the clothes on his back and wallet with less than fifty dollars in it. All his credit cards had been deactivated and his ID was mysteriously missing. The doctors and nurses never asked for insurance, money, or anything. And no matter how much Arthur yelled and screamed they never told him who was responsible for the expenses.

When he finally was able to leave he had nothing but the clothes on his back. One of the nurses, a tall slender woman with red hair handed him a bag and white envelope. Inside was a binder clip of cash and freshly printed ID.

He didn’t ask questions.

Despite having booked a motel in Manhattan, Arthur’s first stop is New York City. 

He takes a breath and releases it in a heavy sigh. His bag feels heavy as he walks down a crowded street. He passes a couple arguing over a parking meter, a group of young kids on scooters, and a line of elementary school children lined up in front of some ice cream shop that Arthur doesn’t recall.

He looks around, half expecting to be greeted by…somebody. Anybody. But no one notices as he passes. He may as well be any old pedestrian on an afternoon walk instead of Dino’s right hand.

It’s almost...disappointing. The ride here he had contemplated how he would react if he say anyone from that night. If they asked him where he had been, what would he say? He’d been practicing an assortment of things. A variety of excuses and explanations. It’s easy to make things up when you have no knowledge of the truth anyway. Arthur really didn’t have any idea. But it doesn’t matter because he sees no one. Even when he turns into the backstreets and alleys. The only faces he sees are those of the lost, homeless, and broken. Faces painted with dirt cradle bags in their arms. A child sits next to a sleeping parent while a few pretty women leaned back against a red brick wall puffing at a cigarette. One waves and he grimaces back at her.

He exits the alley onto another dense street. Giving pause he takes a moment to gather himself. There is something about this place that makes his chest tighten. An unfamiliar feeling that’s been building since his release but has never stopped him in his tracks like it does now. It’s almost sickening.

“Fuck.” He hisses at himself, taking a few wobbly steps backwards. He hits his back against the concrete wall of some office building.

He focuses on the sounds around him. On the screeching tires of cars and on the music blaring from the pizza parlor across the road.

There he sees it, a flash of blonde. Arthur’s heart falls into his stomach. This time he really does get sick. He turns back to the alley, rushing to the nearest wall and heaves. Bile rises to his throat.

It takes only seconds to empty the contents of his stomach but he lingers there, leaning with one hand against the wall and the other holding his stomach.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

The last time he felt this twist is his stomach was when he was younger. A mere ten years of age. The day he met Papa Dino. He was a mere child then. Of course he would be terrified of being thrown into the grasp of some stranger. So why was that same feeling manifesting again now? After all he’s been through? All because of blonde hair?

Arthur takes a few moments to gather himself before leaving the alley and continuing down the street.

He hails a cab and takes it to the city’s edge. Normally, he would take a car straight to Dino’s mansion but considering the circumstances he figures it’s better to keep his purpose to himself.

He’s seen the articles and news reports. Dino’s face was plastered on every television. And all those who were deemed accomplices, those who are still alive, have all more or less been hunted down and thrown in prison. From politicians to CEOs, nobody was safe. Except Arthur. For whatever reason, not one story was written about him. Not one paper listed him as an accomplice. All those years at Dino’s side amounted to nothing but broken legs.

Arthur can only assume Ash has something to do with it. He doesn’t know how or why. But it seems like everything in his life was connected to that bastard one way or another. It’s almost laughable. Has Ash always had this amount of control over him?

He smiles to himself as the cab comes to a complete stop. He pays the man who gave him an odd look before continuing down the road on his own. He’s glad he doesn’t have much in his bag because the walk to the mansion is another fifteen minutes of uphill struggle and sweat.

When he finally sees the gated entrance in the distance, Arthur sucks in a breath.

This was not what he remembered. Yellow tape. Upturned Earth. Bulldozers. A crew of men in yellow hats carry chunks of brick and other debris to wheelbarrows.

The mansion that once stood tall, proud, is now nothing more than a pile of trash.

Arthur can only stare.

What really had he expected by coming here? Why waste time coming home to an empty house? House. Home.

The thought shakes him. Maybe that’s why. Because despite what had occurred he had lived his whole life in that mansion. Since a young age he has known nothing but Dino and the world he commanded. It had been forced upon him. He had started the same as any other. Some snot nosed teary eyed kid that sold for less than a years worth of his mother’s salary. A simple exchange of dollars between hands and Arthur was little more than a fun toy for Papa to play with when his favorite toys were being loaned out. And then Ash came, and Arthur was determined to never become that. Not that he could. Arthur didn’t have the pretty face or petite figure. He didn’t have the soft features and stunning eyes that Ash had. And the moment he realized that, he knew he had to do something more. Be something more to Dino. And he fucking was. Right?

Arthur had turned himself into a sword. Not some pretty rose. He made himself useful to Dino.

“Need something?”

Arthur whips around. A man in that same stupid yellow hat stands staring, eyebrow raised.

“No.” he says quickly before turning and rushing away.

That first day...Arthur hadn’t thought of that part of his life in years. He had let it slide under anger and violence.

And like a drug Author had gotten addicted to it. He liked the anger. He liked the violence. It shielded him from all the other emotions. It kept the pain away...and fear…the truth.

“You need a cab or somethin’?” The man calls but Arthur has already sped away from him.

What a waste of time and money.

Instead of calling for a cab Arthur walks nearly 30 minutes down the road till he hits town. He remembers all the many nights he spent walking the streets looking for trouble. Searching for a reason. Searching for something he doesn’t even recall now.

He finds himself at a gas station where he buys a few bottles of water. He chugs one right there on the spot before stuffing the others in his bag. After, he plants his ass down at a bus stop and waits.

He leans back on the bench, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds drift. 

There is something odd about loneliness. He had forgotten how crushing it was to be alone. How dangerous it was…

It’s almost laughable. In the past he’s certain Wookie would have chastised him for ever saying he’s along.

_ “Hey! Don’t act like i’m not here.”  _ He would say. No one could feel alone if Wookie was there.

The mere thought of his friend brings him flashes of anger. Flashes of gunfire. Flashes of blond hair. It hits him hard in the chest and he’s forced to jolt up.

_ He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone. _

It repeats over and over in his head. He tries to force the thoughts out, grips his head tightly in a vain attempt to shrink them back. But they grow louder and louder until they’re nothing more than a blaring horn and—

They’re gone…

Arthur’s heart beats hard as he blinks away tears.

“You gettin’ on?”

The blond nearly jumped from his skin. He stares awkwardly at the bus driver, a bald thin man staring down at him in concern, before clearing his throat and nodding. He shoves a few dollars in the man’s hand as he boards, taking a seat in the far back corner.

It would be about half an hour before he got to manhattan. Long enough that he could doze off for a few minutes and prepare for the night ahead. 

  
  


He finds a motel that’s far less appealing than anything he’s ever stayed at before but it’s cheap and the man at the front desks doesn’t ask why he’s paying with big bills for only one night.

“Room 9.” The man grunts, dropping a heavy key on the counter.

Arthur snatches it up quick.

His room is about as nice as he expects. The carpet is an ugly green color and the walls are a dirty tan. The bed is big and takes up most of the room but oddly enough there is only one single pillow placed comically at the top.

He tosses his bag on the bed before checking out the bathroom. It’s arguably the cleanest room in the motel. The tiles are slightly cracked but it’s clean, not that it matters too much. It isn’t as though he’ll be living here. He only needs the room for the night.

He takes a slow shower. The water doesn’t feel as nice as it did when he was at the hospital, but it will do. All that really matters is getting the grime of travel off his skin. He scrubs almost too hard and washes his hair with almost the entire bottle of shampoo.

When he’s done he dries his hair, pulls on the same clothes and jacket, a scarf, and leaves his bag in the middle of the bed. He doesn’t bring any money with him.

He doesn’t need it.

He pauses for a moment at the door. He could leave a note? Of course, who would he make it out to? It isn’t as though he has any close friends or family left. He doesn’t have anyone to say goodbye to. And thanks to Ash no one in the world knows who he is.

He could write to his mother. Though he’s almost certain she died years ago. Women like her don’t last long. Papa had told him that as a child.

So no, no note. Frederick Arthur would leave nothing behind, because he has nothing to give.

With one last look at his few belongings, Arthur closes and locks the door. The bridge isn’t far, just a short walk. With the sun falling now he could walk in peace...Disappear in peace...  


.

.

.

The air feels colder now than it did earlier Yut-Lung notices as he steps outside. Maybe having a late dinner wasn’t such a great idea in this weather. He wasn’t really a fan of the cold and he was even less of a fan of walking home so late.

He pulls his phone from his coat pocket and clicks it on.

Sing was just one phone call away and probably wasn’t doing anything but sulking in his room. But the two hadn’t parted on the best of terms. Most likely some argument oven a missing blond idiot and his horrid other half. At least Yut-Lung assumes that was what the argument about. He doesn’t really recall. Whatever the case, he sure as hell wasn’t going to call first without a proper apology.

He sighs, shoving the phone back in his pocket.

“Walking it is.”

It’s strange to Yut-Lung. In only a matter of moments his world had completely shifted. He still has his family name. Still has his legacy. Still has all the same shitty trauma. Yet everything  _ felt  _ strange and different. The way he existed in this world now was new. New in both a bad and a good way. He could walk these streets now free from worry. Free from looking over his shoulder every few minutes to check for danger. That was a blessing but...there are times when it feels more like a curse.

There was no more Dino. No more brothers. No more Ash. No more nights warming beds. No more plotting. No more 'surviving'. No more whispers of danger or Banana Fish. No more Japanese birds.

Eiji.

Ash.

Just the name alone makes Yut-Lung stop in his tracks and click his tongue.

That bastard had completely unraveled everything and turned tail the second he had the chance. At first Yut-Lung had gone mad searching for him. There were rumors he was dead but he needed proof. Real proof. Not whispers about letters and libraries. But he couldn't find him. No one could find him. No matter how far Yut-Lung searched. Hell, he went all the way to Japan without any luck. For all anyone knew, Ash was gone. Dead or not, he was gone. And he left everyone behind without a word like some cheap whore.

How dare he go live his happy ending while— 

He stops again. A few passersby brush past throwing an annoyed glance his way. A cold breath of wind ruffles his hair, blowing it in his face.

What had Yut-Lung been left with? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He had lived his whole life searching for a way out. A way to break free from the chains his brother, and Dino, and everyone else in that dark world had around his neck. He had lived his life for fire and vengeance. He had lied, killed, fucked, and fought his way to reach the top. He was to be a conqueror and make all those who dared abuse him rot. Dino, his _family_ , every politician and business man he was forced to entertain. They would all fall to his feet in despair.... And just when he was almost there. When he had almost snatched the chains from their hands, Ash comes and breaks them. Right before his eyes Ash breaks through cold metal with his bare hands.

“And then you leave to live happily ever after with snow white.” He rolls his eyes and continues walking. The air is getting colder by the moment. It seems to get darker earlier. Though today the sky almost looks on fire. The city in the distance seems to be nothing more than a burning inferno.

If only that were true.

Should he be thankful for what Ash did? Angry? He’s annoyed yes but what else? Why does he snap at Sing every time the blond is mentioned? Why does his body go stiff and his heart fall into the pits of his stomach? Was it Eiji? Just imagining his face pissed Yut-Lung off. He was the one who came in and changed Ash. He tossed the city on it's back and fucked it thoroughly.

And now they were both gone.

The heir tastes bile. It's sickening. He hates the power a single name has. He doesn’t understand why. He almost doesn’t want to understand.  Right now all he wants is to get home. And maybe have a drink or two.

Yut-Lung hardly ever walks anywhere this late. And he most definitely never takes sketchy shortcuts. But today he was feeling daring— mostly he was feeling cold— and decides to cut a few minutes by crossing the bridge to the other side of town. He passes through an empty park, hands shoved in his pockets, thoughts of his heated blanket keeping him warm.The concrete walkway takes a sharp left around a stone wall to the bridge. It’s then that he stops in his tracks for the third time.

At first he thinks it’s a big bird or a dog or maybe just a ghost in his imagination. But when he looks closer he sees it’s none of those. It’s a person. A person standing on the edge staring out into the distance.

They don’t see him at first. In fact, Yut-Lung has half a mind to just turn around and mind his own business. Pretend he didn’t see anything. But the moment he shifts his weight he steps on the driest leaf in the whole city. The crunch it makes catches the stranger’s attention and he falls backward onto the bridge.

And now Yut-Lung can’t pretend he didn’t see.

“Uh...are you okay?” Is all he can ask behind a stifled laugh.

The man doesn’t respond so he approaches, offering a gloved hand to help the man up.

Yut-Lung loses his breath when he sees him.

This wasn’t a stranger. This was…….

The name escapes him for a moment.

“You’re that Chinese brat.” the blonde says with a sigh, his face burning red. Most likely more from the embarrassment of the situation than the cold.

“And you’re Dino’s blond plaything. Well, the other one.” Yut-Lung retorts, taking back his hand. What were the chances? All this time in the city and he's never so much as crossed paths with Dino's 'son'. He's almost certain this is the one who had taken a nasty fall and died after fighting Ash.

“...Arthur.”

“Ah. That’s right. Arthur.” Yut-Lung gives hims space to stand. “And here I thought you died or got locked up like everyone else. Who would have thought I would find Dino’s very own GI Joe about to take a nose-dive into freezing water.”

Arthur pushes past him, leaning against the concrete edge. “And who would have thought I would find the lee family princess walking around alone in such a dangerous place. Don’t you have a client to entertain or something. That was your specialty among your brothers right?”

Yut-Lung’s jaw tightens. A bad face and a bad attitude. No wonder he blacked the name from memory. “I have nothing to do with my brothers anymore. ”

“And I have nothing to do with Dino anymore.”

The two pause and glare at one another for a silent beat. As cold and irritated as Yut-Lung already is, he doesn’t need this added to his load today.

Silently, he walks past Arthur. Or he tries. The other man quickly grabs his arm tightly and stops him from moving. His first instinct is to yell and pull away but...one glance at the blond’s face keeps his mouth closed. There is desperation in his eyes. Desperation and fear and then instant regret as he lets go.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” he trails his words, staring blankly at the ground. Yut-Lung can see him tremble.

He recalls the days after Dino’s death. After Ash and Eiji had disappeared. After every news station played the same story over and over again. After he was tired of hearing his family name— his brother’s name— said over and over and over again. Had he trembled like this? Without Sing, would he have stood on this same bridge? On this same edge? Would he have jumped?

He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it.

“You look like shit.” Yut-Lung points to the other’s clothes. “When’s the last time you had a shower?”

“Today.” His face twists to another glare.

“Well your clothes would say otherwise. And your hair, but I’m pretty sure it’s always looked like that.” He adds a laugh to ease the tension, which works because the blond’s face relaxes. “Sorry for interrupting your jump session. I’ll make it up to you with a drink.”

“A drink?”

“I was going anyway and company is more or less non existent these days. After all, everyone we know is either dead or in prison.”

“Or running away.”Arthur adds. “I’m...probably the worst company to have right now.”

Yut-Lung smirks. “I can assure you I’ve had worse.”

“Can you even buy alcohol?” Arthur raises a brow.  
  
“I can do whatever I want in this city.”

“Except drive apparently.” He sniffles and wraps his arms around himself.

Yut-Lung gives him a pointed look and Arthur breathes out a chuckle as both men cross the bridge together.

**Author's Note:**

> Find us on twitter:  
> @dia_dove (Fic)  
> @kniuto (beautiful art that makes me so happy~)


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